HelloThis is my first time on this forum. I'm coming back into teaching after 10 years doing other things. I have decided to go freelance and I will be proposing business english courses to french companies. I do recognise one or two titles from the past but would like to know what teachers could recommend these days as a basic stock of books to start off with. The problem for me is that I live in the middle of nowhere and do not have access to a decent bookshop where I can browse and choose.Thank you for any bright ideas you may have. I hope to be of help to others in the future once I get my business going !

HI, I am in completely in the same situation in another part of France (I am guessing that you are in the Vendée?) I am wading through lists of books recommended by different people but as you say it is difficult to choose when you can't go into a bookshop to browse. So I too would welcome ideas about the basic stock of books to get going with. Thank you!

Hi,Yes, I'm in Vendée (not too taxing to guess that one !!)Are you planning to go freelance too ? If so, it would be good to share experiences..I have recently heard good things about Business Basics and a new book that has just come out: Business result. Does anybody have any constructive comments to make on either of these ?Thanks.

HI I see that no one has responded to you and I have been looking at different books on Amazon. Most methods seem to include different books for the students and teachers as well as CDS and will cost a small fortune if I buy for all the different levels. Have you looked into this any further? Thanks!

Yes. I was rather disappointed that no-one has replied with ideas.I have made some headway this week and have taken the plunge. I've gone for Business result ( just the student book and CD for the moment) and English grammar in use. I've also ordered Communication games to jog my memory and give me inspiration for activity ideas.I've managed to get some interest in a preparation course for the TOEIC and TOEFL and have ordered the packs sold on the ets website.I'm planning to sign up as autoentrepreneur this week and get the paperwork finished. I've drawn up a 'contrat de formation professionnelle' and am in the process of doing the same thing for the 'convention' for companies. Have you signed on yet ?Looking forward to hearing from you.

I teach in France and have been doing so for a long time now. I teach adults and children. Sometimes I have requests for business English private courses and I also teach Business English directly to companies as I am a certified "Centre de Formation". You don't specfiy what type of business your students are in. You may find resources for different types of Business English are easier to find than others. For instance, if you are teaching English to tourist office personnel or ski teachers, there are loads of resources out there.

Generally speaking though, I have found the Penguin English Photocopiables to be great for pair work and communicative activities. There are 2 of them and there is also one called Business English Meetings. They have nothing to do with writing up a needs analysis or a curriculum for your course but they offer some good ideas for activities to keep your class alive. If you want more information on how to determine exactly what your students need in the way of listening, speaking, reading and writing skills have a look at an article I have written on Teaching Business English: A Needs Analysis at the following link:http://www.suite101.com/content/teachin ... is-a226062

Well we do have a small English bookshop so I went in yesterday and was given loads of samples and catalogues and am really none the wiser except that I am leaning towards International Express. All the teachers I have spoken to here say that they don't really use any particular books but mix and match, depending on their class. However can't decide whether to get the teacher's or the student's book. Why did you decide to go for the student book? I have not yet signed up as an autoentrepreneur as I can't until I am no longer a director of my previous company which organises language exchanges for kids. Also I spoke to a Spanish teacher in Paris and she suggested get a client first and then sign up as it takes 5 minutes. However you also have to register as "une société de formation" if you are planning to teach in companies and for this you also need to have your first contract. If you like we could speak further but not on the forum but not sure that giving contact details here is a good idea. Perhaps you could go to my website:

Last edited by Jo on 07 Oct 2010, 20:28, edited 1 time in total.
Reason:removed commercial link, you may use the board's PM system for contact purposes if you wish

HI Louanne, thanks for your reply and very useful link. I will look into the books you suggest as I am only looking for something general at the moment. Once I have more information about my clients I can look into more specific publications. However what I would like is a basic curriculum so that I at least have a clear idea of what I should be covering grammar wise for each level. Can you suggest anything general? Thanks!